Art History

You could have called this last episode "Sudden Death" for the obvious reasons, but also I found it interesting how death as a theme weaved its way through all three finalists' exhibitions: Abdi's fallen hoop dreams, Peregrine's twin fawn photograph and Miles' ghost in the machine. I'm glad that for the finale any "challenge" constraints were lifted and the artists could show whatever they wanted to. Maybe some of them hung too much work, but there were little gems in each of their shows. After we finished filming in February I got a nice thank you note in the mail from Peregrine so I'd like to offer my appreciation in return. Many thanks to the Magical Elves and Pretty Matches because working with you was like flying first class. Thanks to all fourteen artists for demonstrating what Jerry Saltz might call "radical vulnerability" in opening themsleves up to weekly televised criticism. Thanks to my wife for hooking me up with the wardrobe.

Thanks to the million plus viewers who watched every week. Added together that makes around ten million virtual visits to the TV show, something like three times as many people who went to MoMa last year.

Funny how relative and therefore meaningless numbers can be. I still believe, "You're art history!" would have been a better send off line over "Your work of art didn't work for us," even with the doubling meaning. Thanks to The Brooklyn Museum. And thanks to our patron saint, Andy Warhol. I had an absolute blast serving as a judge alongside Jerry, Jeanne, and China, but now it's time for us to Van Gogh, yo.